Only one in 10 students in South Australia is dropping out before beginning Year 12

Ellie May Moore was the top Aboriginal Year 12 student in
South Australia, and now hopes to pursue a career as a 
doctor.

MORE public students are staying in school to study at Year 12 level, figures reveal.

Now, only one in 10 students in South Australia is dropping out before beginning Year 12.

The overall Year 12 retention rate was up to a record 89.6 per cent, from 87.5 per cent in 2011  the sixth rise in six years.

The rate of male students staying in school to Year 12 jumped by almost four points to 81.6 per cent while female retention was up 0.2 points to 98.4 per cent.

Compared with 2002, more than 1600 additional public students are staying on to Year 12.

This year, there also was an increase in the number Aboriginal students who stayed on to study Year 12  up more than two percentage points to 69.1 per cent.

That was short of the target retention rate for Aboriginal students set in the Education Department's Aboriginal Strategy 2005-10, which planned for 70 per cent of students finishing Year 12 by2010.

- adelaidenow.com.au